Then she slipped her hand into his, looked up shyly yet ardently into his eyes, and replied swift and low:

“Milo, my love for thee must be my defense. I did have traffic with Sancho, to the end that we — thee and me — might use him to our advantage. Wait!” she cried, when he would have spoken, “hear me. Canst not see Dolores’s cunning intention? She goes from here, carrying her treasure; what will she do with thee, once safely away? Will she carry thee always with her, to be marked because of thy great stature? No, Milo, thy life will pay for her desertion of her people, and she will laugh at thy passing. And why should it be? Here, thou and I can rule these cattle as she never could. With Sancho’s deserters, and Rufe’s followers, I can give thee a band that will force the